Projections have the White Sox owing a little over $50 million in salary for Opening Day 2019 solely based on the players currently under club control. In other words, they have a lot of money to spend and could make a Machado/Harper combination happen. There’s plenty of reason to believe the interest is legitimate, as the White Sox wanted Machado last winter when it appeared Baltimore might trade him.

The big question is whether Machado or Harper would want to play for the White Sox, who are still very much in the midst of a rebuilding phase. Yes, two players of that caliber could turn things around quickly, and top prospect Eloy Jimenez is on the verge of breaking through to the big leagues as well, but this is still a team fresh off a 100-loss season.